this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2024
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How would that turn every state into a swing state? š¤£
Do you think I'm going to change the mind of every single person who would vote for Biden? Despite how almost every single person that sees this idea reacts extremely negatively. Getting a viable third party is a long-term strategy. It's an important, long-term strategy. But it's not going to happen this election lol. What I'm hoping for this election is a third party candidate gets enough votes that their third party becomes more mainstream and that over time we will have better options.
Iām just saying, your logic only works if enough people dont follow it. That kind of makes it bad advice.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-fires-staffer-endorsed-trump-reelection-1235002839/
When youāre aligning yourself with pro-fascistsāor at least have the exact same tactics (minus an exception), you cannot be on the right side of history.
Iāve been wrestling with this for my whole life. I was a young anarchist, Iāve been a third party voter most of that time. Now Iām an adult anarchist. Andā¦I just canāt bring myself to do exactly what pro-fascists are pushing for people just like me to do.
We all get it. The system is broken. Two party systems are doomed to be a road to fascism. We are reaching the end of that road. None of us can stomach whatās happening in Gaza. But gambling with an even more pro-genocide candidate winning justā¦canāt be tolerated. It doesnāt make emotional sense. Because we canāt stomach supporting someone who is participating in genocide. It hurts. But itās kind of on us to bear the brunt of that conundrum because we are fighting bald-faced fascism. Getting to hold your head up high because you didnāt support the guy aiding in a genocide is a pretty small victory for gambling with the lives of Palestinian people. Trump wants to āfinishā the situation in Gaza. And not in a good way.
Itās a shitty situation for us to have to negotiate. But weāre not the ones gambling with our own lives. Weāre gambling with the lives of trans people, women who need abortions, those living in poverty, the environmentā¦just so we can āsend a measage?ā
The system is arranged to keep third parties from being viable. Voting for them just doesnāt make sense, because there is no changing that without changing the system. Especially in this election. Because we are staring down the barrel of fascism, for one, and secondly, there isnāt enough support for the idea to really have the impact you want. It can only go bad. Waiting until the day of the election to send that message or put some plan to change things in place is so incredibly foolish when you consider all youāre gambling with. You want to change things? Put in the groundwork, year in, year out.
All youāre doing is throwing extra danger into the pot and supporting the people who are pushing your same messaging in order to see trump win. Justā¦how can you justify it?
I am going to try to show you the same kindness and genuineness you are showing me.
"Iām just saying, your logic only works if enough people dont follow it. That kind of makes it bad advice." I think this is a key part. I know the vast majority of people that hear my advice will not take it. So I am depending on that. I also feel it's correct. I think it wouldn't be unrealistic for me to expect everyone or even most of the people who hear it to take it to heart. Do you think I'm wrong?
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-fires-staffer-endorsed-trump-reelection-1235002839/ I think I see this news article a different way then you do. I hate rfk and wouldn't recommend voting for him unless that vote was going to go to trump instead. I also don't believe most of the votes going to rfk would have gone to Biden. I believe the COVID conspiracist that want to vote for him were much more likely to be trumpers. I think a lot of the fear on the media that all third party votes would ha e otherwise gone to Biden is wrong. I may be crazy but I think of the Dems pied Piper strategy and wonder if this related. They really seem to like catching us in thos lesser of two evils trap. I live in Maryland. The Dems helped far right candidate David Cox get the Republican nominee in our last govenors race. I ended up voting dem because it scared me. Democrat nominee won hands down because Maryland is a blue state but I was tricked. I feel similarly about this presidential election now.
"When youāre aligning yourself with pro-fascistsāor at least have the exact same tactics (minus an exception), you cannot be on the right side of history." Doesn't this with us or against us rhetoric feel odd to you? I believe the "unless you live in a swing state" part of my sentiment is what clearly divides me from them.
"Two party systems are doomed to be a road to fascism. We are reaching the end of that road." I completely agree and I think we need to start taking a third party exit. I know this is a many election process but starting now is better than later and the safest way to do so is to try to convince as many people in non-swing states to start voting third party. That momentum takes time.
"Itās a shitty situation for us to have to negotiate. But weāre not the ones gambling with our own lives. Weāre gambling with the lives of trans people, women who need abortions, those living in poverty, the environmentā¦just so we can āsend a measage?ā " As a side note I am not the wealthy cis het man you seem to think I am.
"All youāre doing is throwing extra danger into the pot and supporting the people who are pushing your same messaging in order to see trump win. Justā¦how can you justify it?" In this way, by only promoting this idea for voters in non swing states I believe additional risk is minimized. I also believe this is the only way to possible make things better by ballot. Outside of this the only ways I can imagine the USA getting off this "two party road to fascism" (to borrow your elegant words) will create much more misfortune and suffering before getting better.
Also just to clarify. I know trump is worse on all fronts compared to Biden. Whether it's Palestine or pro working class policy at home. I hate trump and I also see him winning as the worst case scenario for the election. You don't have to convince me of any of that. I think our only disagreement really lies in how much additional risk voting third party in non swing states generates but please tell me if you think otherwise.
Also thanks for talking to me like a normal person š
I mean, I think you and I feel very similarly. We are disillusioned, angry, we feel hopeless. Iām not 100% in favor of my strategy. Because it means supporting someone I donāt actually support. But, having weighed the pros and cons, I just feel like there is so much to lose for vulnerable communities. And, on the whole, I feel most peoplesā true intentions in advocating for this are ultimately selfish. Iām not saying that is your motivation at all. You could very much be an idealist. But as a fellow idealist feeling the need to give into my realism as I get older, I find its best to sacrifice yourself and your own sense of idealistic purity for othersāagain, Iām not saying youāre doing the opposite. Itās a super complicated and shitty lose-lose scenario.
I agree that not all third party votes would otherwise be votes for Biden. But itās been proven over and over and has been a Republican strategy for a long time to suppress turnout. Because they arenāt popular. Their ideas are terrible and no one actually likes them. Their supporters are just angry and want to hurt others.
So my thinking is, if itās a Republican strategy to push third party candidates, and itās the third party candidatesā campaignsā position that they are the only hope to defeat a vote against the fascistā¦I meanā¦theyāre not like you and me basing our opinions mostly on rough approximations. They are looking at data that shows how this changes things. There are few things I trust republicans and antivax nutjobs on, but this subject is one of themāprobably the only one.
I get where youāre coming from. But thatās not the way I look at my position at all. If I were a democrat pushing this type of thinking with the motive of getting more votes for my preferred candidate, yeah, thatād be my problematic position.
But Iām a leftist that has gone back and forth on this issue and debated it in my head for more than half of my life. I get what youāre saying, and sometimes I feel exactly how you feel.
Itās justā¦a complicated issue and we are both looking at the same thing, seeing the same issues, and coming up with different answers. Literally, after your post I was thinking to myself, āwellā¦Iām in NY. Iā¦could probably do this.ā But after 2016, I felt so much guilt, for the first time in my life, for voting third party. And that threw my entire view on the subject into doubt.
I dunno. I donāt have the answer. And apologies if I seemed to have assumed you were a cishet white guy. Theyāre just usually the most likely to throw everyone elseās caution to the wind to advocate for their own ideas. Not that thatās what you were doing. Just that they always feel the most comfortable in being reckless with othersā safety and well-being.
No need to apologize for the bit at the end stranger. š
You're a good dudešš
You've given me some things to think about. Again I appreciate your input and your knowledge and your kindness.